TV VIEW:IT WAS hard not to think of absent Sky friends yesterday on what was the Superest of Super Sundays. If they'd only behaved themselves Andy Gray and Richard Keys would have been there to greet us, Richard with an oxygen tank at his side for those moments when his title-decider- induced-hyperventilating got the better of him.

Instead, the more measured David Jones was our host for the day, with Ray Wilkins, officially the nicest man on planet earth, and Jamie Redknapp at his side.

(It’s tempting to say that Jamie is also the nicest man on earth, but that brings to mind Kevin Keegan’s observation that “England have the best fans in the world and Scotland’s fans are second-to-none”. Or “Argentina are the second-best side in the world, and there’s no better praise than that.”)

Ray is, of course, now a global legend (well, on Twitter anyway) after saying “stay on your feet” so many times during his Sky co-commentating on Spurs’ Champions League game against Real Madrid, a company actually started making T-shirts featuring the phrase.

And just when you thought he couldn’t be any more loveable, Piers Morgan only went and had a go at him for referring to Spurs as “we” during that game, and anyone who upsets Piers Morgan, it has to be said, should be knighted. Or beatified. Whichever Saint Sir Ray prefers.

“Piers Morgan gave me some grief? That’s quite good actually,” Ray replied. “I’d thought he had bigger fish to fry than worrying about me, I’m quite pleased with that.”

See? He doesn’t do frenzy, bless him. So, when Jones asked him what he expected of the Superest of Super clashes, Manchester United v Chelsea, he said: “I think this will be a game today.”

That level of understated serenity would have had Richard and Andy spinning in their talkSPORT graves.

Jamie agreed with Ray, it would indeed be a game.

(On an entirely peripheral note, when are Sky going to pay Ray and Jamie enough for them to buy suits that actually fit? You could have inserted three Rays into the jacket he was wearing yesterday, while Jamie’s outfits are so tight the poor fella appears to be in chronic pain.)

“What will United look for from this game,” Jones asked Jamie.

“A draw would be the perfect result. Well, obviously, the win would be, but a draw is perfect.”

So, off we went.

And in the early stages, United, as Jamie forecast, had the look of a team happy to settle for a draw, until Javier Hernandez scored after 37 seconds, their hopes of a draw fading further when Nemanja Vidic made it 2-0.

Come half-time, you half hoped Ray – sacked, remember, as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant earlier this season – would say: “Ha, ha, ha.”

Not a bit of it.

In fact, he was sympathetic to their plight, even refusing to agree with Jones when he suggested David Luiz had had a cataclysmic first half.

“He has been a tad shaky,” said Ray, as only Ray could.

Second half and it was all a tad tense, especially after Jamie’s cousin Frankie Lamps pulled a goal back for Chelsea.

But there was to be no perfect result, United having to settle for a win.

Those absolute eejits who declared this to be Alex Ferguson’s worst team ever – even rubbisher than the one that featured Ralph Milne – were left scarlet.

But we take heart from the wise words of the old Dagenham and Redbridge manager, Sammy Confucius: “Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.”

“Well, I fink this might be the best United team ever,” said Jamie, whose judgment was now clearly impaired by the tightness of his pants.

Ray couldn’t quite bring himself to agree with that verdict, but he was happy to share his love for Hernandez. “A fox in the box,” he swooned, “he’s taken a duck to water.”

Jamie seemed puzzled by Ray’s suggestion that Hernandez had transported Daffy to a pond, but that aside, he agreed: “He’s the buy of the century!”

“Absolutely,” said Ray, almost adding: “And he stays on his feet.”

Title race over? Possibly.

Arsenal? Where did it all go wrong? Ray, again, didn’t want to offend, so he offered the Gooners some hope.

“I actually think Arsenal could win championships in Europe,” he said, seemingly suggesting they move to Portugal, Belgium or the like.

Jamie nodded in agreement, but the sudden movement almost caused his suit to burst, so he opted to remain motionless for the rest of the show.

“Thank you Ray and Jamie,” said Jones.

“My pleasure,” said Ray.

Jamie blinked twice.

We took that as a “no probs”.